And a Star To Steer Her By
by quiet-heart
Summary: After Blood In Paradise, Dabi's life was completely changed by the events in Hawaii. Then tragedy strikes at home, leaving her reeling. Six months later, she's struggled to find her way again, but when trouble strikes, she must find the courage to find her way home again, back to Gibbs, and a new light in her life. COMPLETE REWRITE OF ORIGINAL STORY!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Dabi Moore-Gibbs rested her forehead on the slide of her gun in prayer. She was with Fran Tucker, her friend and NCIS agent in the making, and they were both hiding in an abandoned building on a supposed-to-be abandoned military base, a base that had a few ghost stories circulating it. Fran, being the avid ghost hunter that she was, had been determined to check it out and Dabi had been dragged along with her.

Getting on to the base hadn't been a problem, not at seven in the evening. No, the problem had been when they had discovered a large cache of weapons of varying types. There was everything from handguns, like the one Dabi had helped herself to, along with a couple of spare clips, to M72 LAWs (Light Anti-tank Weapons), a couple of SMAWs (Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon), assault rifles of varying calibers, survival gear, and a couple boxes of grenades. They had even found bayonet knives in one box, one of which was now strapped to Dabi's leg.

Both Dabi and Fran had snapped photos like crazy, then gotten the hell out of the area as fast as possible.

Then Fran had discovered a new problem. The cell phone signal in that area was gone. There was no way for either of them to call for help.

 _How the hell did things get this far?_ Dabi wondered, watching as her friend scanned the area with the night vision goggles she'd helped herself to from the weapons and supply cache. Her mind drifted back.

 _Six months ago:_

 _"Help! Pop-Pop's in trouble! He can't breathe and his chest hurts!"_ was the frantic message Gibbs got on his phone. Ignoring Vance and SecNav Sarah Porter, with whom he had been in a meeting with, Gibbs tore out of the room. He only just heard Vance yell after him.

"I want a report later, Gibbs!"

" _Where?"_ Gibbs texted.

 _"Bakery! Hurry! The ambulance is on the way! Get Ducky, please!"_

Gibbs was rapidly dialing for the medical examiner when the elevator doors whooshed open. It was Abby, and she had her ear to her phone.

"Gibbs! Pop-Pop's in trouble!" said Abby frantically.

"I just got the same message," said Gibbs. "You calling Ducky?"

"He's on his way, said he'll meet us at my truck."

"Make it mine," said Gibbs.

"You catch that, Ducky?" Abby asked. There was an apparent affirmative, because Abby hung up.

They made it to the Kranz Bakery in record time, only to see an ambulance there, with no lights flashing, and the doors open.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Abby whimpered.

They tore inside, while Ducky stopped to talk to the paramedics. In the back area there was the feeling of stunned silence. People were huddled around, some crying quietly, others whispering amongst themselves, like they were afraid to raise their voices.

"What happened?" Gibbs demanded to a worker. "Where's Dabi and Sharee?"

"They're in the back," said the worker, wiping her eyes.

"And Daniel?" Abby asked hesitantly.

The worker shook her head, wiping her tear-streaked eyes. "They're saying it was a heart attack. He just suddenly clutched his chest, said it hurt, and he couldn't breathe."

Gibbs tore into the back room, where the office usually was, pushing and shoving as he needed to, to get to his daughter.

Daniel was on the floor, his shirt open, and tubes and wires on him, eyes closed and still as death. Dabi and Sharee were seated on the couch, arms around each other tightly. Sharee was sobbing but what got Gibbs was the blank look on Dabi's face.

Daniel was gone. And Dabi's world was shattered once again.

Somehow Gibbs got them out of the office and up stairs into their home. The paramedics would remove Daniel's body and take him to the hospital for an autopsy, as per standard procedure, before transporting him to the funeral home for a Jewish funeral.

As he made coffee and tea for them, Abby and Ducky joined them.

"I spoke to the paramedics, Jethro. They're saying it was an acute myocardial infarction," said Ducky, talking to Gibbs quietly. "Possibly brought on by coronary artery disease, which Sharee had admitted Daniel was struggling with, something he never willingly admitted to anyone but Sharee."

"A heart attack?" Gibbs repeated in disbelief.

"And a serious one. From what I was able to gather, the poor man was a ticking time bomb and it was only a matter of time before his heart finally gave out." Ducky sighed heavily. "They say he fought, Jethro, that he fought hard, but he lost."

"My god," Gibbs groaned. "This is going to kill Dabi."

"It won't kill her, but I suspect you are going to have your hands full for a while," said Ducky.

Time passed in a daze for Dabi. She couldn't remember the details, just fractions of a moment.

Watching her grandfather be covered in a plain white shroud, or a tachrichim, as according to Jewish tradition, with his prayer shawl wrapped around him.

Hearing "Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu melech haolam, dayan ha'emet." from the family rabi. _Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, the true Judge._ Hearing "Baruch dayan emet," from others in the Jewish community. _Blessed be the one true Judge_.

The cemetery. Watching Gibbs and other men carry the plain pine box to the grave, where her grandfather would be buried next to his parents, and stopping seven times to recite Psalm 91.

Sitting Shiva next to her grandmother.

Being cold. No matter how warmly she dressed, she was always cold.

Eric attended the funeral, but she could see his heart wasn't in it. She suspected he wouldn't be around much longer. Not that she cared any more. People were always leaving her.

Her mom was gone. The Navy officer died despite her best attempts to help him. The Marine died in Hawaii, trying to protect her. Jackson Gibbs, he didn't have much time left. Ziva was gone, heading back home to Israel after that fiasco with that lawyer and Gibbs. Her dad was going to leave her one day, she was certain of that. Nana too. Azan was gone.

The world hurt too much.

Time passed. She didn't know how long because the days seem to blend in to one another. She worked the bakery, trying to help Nana carry on. Pop-Pop had willed his half of the bakery to her and left a stipulation that Fran was to have free room and board for as long as she needed to, until she could find her own way in the world.

She dropped out of college, too busy with the bakery to focus on school any more.

Eric left her, unable to handle her any more. He claimed she wasn't the girl he'd known anymore, that he needed someone with more life. She hadn't responded, just took off the claddagh ring, put it on the bench they were sitting on, and walked away. Gibbs found her somewhere over by the Lincoln Memorial several hours later, sitting in front of Abe's feet, soaked to the bone and not caring.

For a time she drifted. The days blended in to each other, and the grief, well, that never seemed to end. It was like a cold lump of ice that sat in her chest, day in and day out.

The world felt so cold.

And then there was Leo.

And just like the North Star, he became the light she desperately needed to find her way home again.

Except she didn't know it at the time.

Leo wasn't tall, wasn't heavily muscular like most young men who worked out, but he was well-built and physically fit, with muscles in all the right places, tidy dirty blonde hair and brown eyes that looked as if they could see right in to her soul, and that scared Dabi. He had a Marine tattoo on one arm that was reveled when he took off his jacket at his apartment, which was more like a loft above a gym he kept an eye on for the owner in exchange for reduced rent.

She had been walking home when she'd passed a group of guys who made gestures at her suggesting she come over and join them. She'd refused and kept on walking. One of them had made a grab at her and, in no mood to be tangled with, she had swung.

That had started the fight and it was a fight she had begun to lose, due to sheer numbers.

Then Leo had intervened, just as one of them had begun ripping at her shirt. Swinging a long length of rebar and pulling kicks she was envious of, he'd managed to get enough of the gang members away long enough to grab her and haul her out of there.

He'd gotten her to a safe, well-lit area that the gang members couldn't follow them to without risk of being caught by police. Then he'd looked at her in concern.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'll live. That whole thing was stupid."

"You ain't kidding," he replied, signing.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You sign pretty good but your speech says you hear."

He grinned. "I have a little brother who's deaf. He's ten inches taller than me and would thump me faster than Road Runner if I didn't sign properly."

"If he's taller than you, why do you call him little?"

"Because he's younger than me by about ten months and I don't let him forget it!"

Dabi found herself smiling; she couldn't help it. Then she flinched when he touched her face. "You need some first aid. C'mon, I know a safe place," he said.

Curious about him, she followed him to a building that proclaimed itself to be a gym but looked more like an old industry warehouse. He lead her up the fire escape in the back to what turned out to be his apartment.

"I won't hurt you, I promise," he said as they entered the room. She looked at him nervously.

"Said the spider to the fly," she couldn't help but say.

He grinned at that. "Serious trust issues, I take it?"

"Major."

He nodded, heading for what appeared to be the kitchen and pulling out a First Aid kit. As she sat down at the small table, carefully taking off her torn and dirty jacket, he brought the kit to the table and fetched a warm, wet face cloth. As he did, a calico cat appeared at her feet, sniffing the air curiously.

It was not a big cat, but it was furry, bushy-like. He didn't have much of a tail, but he had bright yellow eyes and a fang that hung over one lip. He wasn't a beautiful cat, but he could have been a very serious contender for Crookshanks, from _Harry Potter._

Dabi was intrigued. "Hello," she said, letting the cat sniff her fingers. He sniffed, then head-butted her hand in silent demand to be petted. Allowing the cat to jump up on her lap, she obliged with the demand, feeling something in her melt a little bit.

"I see you've met Rocky," said the man, coming back.

"Rocky?"

"Rocky Balboa, the boxer," he said. "I'm Leo, by the way." He showed her the sign for _lion_.

"Dabi," she said. She flinched when the warm cloth touched her split lip.

"What were you doing out there at that time of night? Pretty girl like you, thought you'd be at home, getting ready for school."

"Couldn't sleep. I work at the Kranz Bakery with my grandmother," she found herself admitting. "Thought I'd go get some coffee or something. What about you?"

"Forgot to get some cat food for Rocky," he said, carefully cleaning her cuts and scrapes. "That furball makes my life hell if I forget."

She found herself smiling.

As he cleaned her scraped knuckles, he noticed the Hawaiian tattoo under the sleeve of her short-sleeve shirt.

"Nice tat," he said.

She pushed the sleeve up the rest of the way so he could see it better. "Got it in Hawaii from a local artist."

"Hawaii, huh? Beautiful place."

"It is, when you're not being shot at," she found herself admitting.

"Shot at?" he repeated, his eyes going wide.

Dabi shrugged. "Gun runner I was able to identify while in L.A. kidnapped me and took me to Hawaii with the intention of selling me on the sex slave market."

"Jeeze. How did you get away?"

"One of the guys was to take me to a shed for holding. He wound up with my knife in the base of his skull," Dabi replied flatly. "My dad's a former Marine; he taught me how to fight with a knife." She deliberately omitted the federal agent part for now.

She looked up at Leo, expecting to see horror, or at least embarrassment. Instead, she saw kindness and sympathy.

"That must've been hard," he said.

For a moment Dabi could have sworn he was looking right into her soul, and from that moment on, whether she liked it or not, she was hooked.

She found herself staying longer than she'd planned on. When he pressed a warm cup of Chamomile Lemon tea into her hands and Rocky dug his claws into her legs, it was hard to do much.

She told him about L.A. and Hawaii. About her grandfather dying. About her mother being killed by a drunk driver at eleven. Losing Azan. Jarvis. Her dad and the Navy officer.

She woke up the next morning on his couch, covered by a blanket, her phone showing several messages from Fran, her dad, and Nana, all asking where she was.

And the light shone a little bit brighter.

 _Present day:_

"I thought you said this place was abandoned," Dabi said to Fran.

"It's supposed to be," Fran said, peering out of the window of the building where they were hiding. "Records say it was abandoned after the Cold War, when the whole Put-'Em-Up thing between Russia and the USA died down."

"According to Dad, it never did die down completely," Dabi said. "That's a large part of the reason why he speaks Russian as well as he does. We need to get out of here and get back to the road, get a signal, and get my dad down here."

"We may have a problem doing that," Fran admitted. She pointed in a direction. "I'm seeing a camp fire. I think this place has got visitors."

"And you want to see who they are," Dabi guessed. Fran nodded. Dabi sighed heavily. "Fine. We get pictures, information, and then we head back. I do not want to get caught in the middle of a gun fight."

"Fair enough. If we meet up with someone, we could grab a guy and do some head thumping," Fran suggested. "We need more information and they might be the ones who have it."

"They may not talk," Dabi warned her.

Fran smiled coldly. "Wanna bet?"

Dabi looked at Fran with wide eyes. "I fear you."

"Been learning about interrogation," Fran admitted. "I've picked up a few things."

"Fine. Low and slow."

"Low and slow."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As they moved through the darkness, heading for the light Fran had spotted through the night vision goggles, Fran watched her friend tuck the gold and opal star-heart pendant under her shirt, a pendant Leo had given her not that long ago.

She smiled as she remembered.

 _Four and a half months ago:_

Fran: _ROFLMAO_

Gibbs: _What?_

Fran: _Leo just showed up. Threw D in the shower and told her if she wants coffee, she's going to have to earn it. She demanded to know if that involved killing him._

Gibbs: _Uh-oh_

Fran: _He said "How fast can you run?" She said, "Fast enough to murder you, you over-sized gorilla!" "Wanna bet?"_

Gibbs: _Dabi is going to kill him._

Fran: _She has to catch him first LMAO Oh was she mad! Especially since he turned the shower on her after yanking her out of bed without warning LMAO You could hear the screams through the whole building!_

Gibbs: _Oh my god_

Fran: _She came down stairs, dressed, saw him, yelled he'd better run, and he took off laughing. She followed and haven't seen her since. Haven't seen her that mad in a long time. Can we keep him?_

Gibbs: _If she kills him, call me first._

Fran _: He said his plan was to get her mad enough to chase him, which would get her moving. If she's moving, she's active, which, according to him, can help heal both the mind and the body._

Gibbs _: He has a point._

Fran: _He plans to introduce her to kickboxing. Said the physical demands can be a great stress reliever. Apparently he's studying physical therapy and plans to work with injured and recovering military personnel._

Gibbs: _Good_ _man. I'll warn DiNozzo Dabi's kicks are about to get meaner._

Fran: _*grins evilly*_

 _Present day:_

They had a problem. The campfire belonged to a small group of frightened Boy Scouts and Venturers, all ranging in age from ten to eighteen years. There were three adult Boy Scout leaders, fifteen Boy Scouts, and four Venturers. Cellular communication was non-existent, same as Fran and Dabi's, and one of their leaders was missing.

"One of our leaders, Mika, she went back to her car about an hour ago, and we haven't seen her since," Boy Scout leader Ami Klaire admitted. "I don't know this area very well and it's way too dark for any of us to be wandering around by ourselves."

"Why are you here?" Fran asked.

"We're working on our survival and leadership badges," Boy Scout leader Thomas McEntire said. "I knew about this base from my grandfather, who was stationed here at one point, and I checked it out during the day. I didn't see any problems."

"I just don't understand why we're having cell problems," Arnold Ross said, scowling at his phone.

"We're having the same problem," Fran admitted. "Someone could be deliberately blocking the signal; it's not hard to do if you have the right equipment."

"What about satellite phones?" Thomas asked, holding up one. "I have one, for emergencies, but is it an emergency yet? And who would we call?"

"I don't know about an emergency, but I know we have a problem," Dabi said. "We found a very large weapons cache in one of the buildings about a kilometer or so back thataway, and there was no dust on those boxes."

"So who do we call?" Arnold asked.

"NCIS. This is a Marine base, abandoned or not, which means it falls under their jurisdiction," Dabi said. "And, here's the best part, we know someone who's an NCIS agent. He would know what to do."

"Who?" Ami asked.

"My dad. Fran, want to call him?" Dabi asked, digging out her phone and bringing up Gibbs' cell number.

Thomas handed Fran the phone and showed her how to boot it up. Fortunately, it was a clear night, so the phone was able to acquire a signal quickly.

" _Gibbs,_ " Gibbs said a moment later.

"Gibbs, it's Fran and Dabi. We're at the abandoned USMC base, Marine Barracks Potomac, near the river, and we have a problem," Fran said.

" _You mean besides ghosts?_ " Gibbs asked sarcastically.

"We found a large cache of weapons in one of the buildings," Fran said, choosing to ignore the sarcasm for now. "Everything from small guns to large rockets to night-vision goggles and knives that could cut through an elk and keep on going."

" _You're kidding me, right?_ " Gibbs asked incredulously.

Fran looked at Dabi. "He thinks we're kidding."

"Dad, I've got a Glock 41 in my hand, with a .45 AUTO calibre, something I remember Abby telling me is military issue," Dabi said when Fran held the phone near her. "I also have two more clips tucked in my back pocket. And Dad? There was no dust on those storage boxes and very little dust in the building where we found them."

Gibbs swore.

"We also found a bunch of Boy Scouts and Venterers and their leaders," Fran said. "And one of their leaders is missing."

" _Name_ ," Gibbs said.

Fran glanced up at the leaders. "Mika Wilbur," Ami said. "She went back to her car about an hour ago and she hasn't been seen since."

" _Okay, I have your location. Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you,_ " Gibbs said.

"Oh, and better bring a satellite phone; there's no cell phone reception here for some reason," Fran said.

" _Understood._ " And Gibbs hung up.

Fran and Dabi looked at the Boy Scout leaders. "Calvary's on the way," Fran said.

 _At NCIS:_

"McGee!" Gibbs barked.

"USMC Marine Barracks Potomac, abandoned in nineteen-ninety-two," Tim said, throwing the map up on the plasma. It was the end of another case, and the team had been working late to wrap up the last of the paperwork before the weekend. "It was mostly a training camp, but was capable of holding over a thousand personnel at any given time. If I can get my hands on a satellite, we may be able to see what's going on."

"Do it," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded and headed upstairs to MTAC.

Gibbs' phone rang; it was Leo and he wanted to know if Gibbs knew where Dabi was. Apparently she wasn't answering his messages and he was starting to get worried.

"Fran just called from an abandoned Marine barracks camp," Gibbs said. "They found weapons and Boy Scouts, and one of their leaders is missing. We're on our way to check it out."

" _What? Why on earth would there be weapons at an abandoned base?_ " Leo demanded.

"We don't know," said Gibbs, preparing the usual pat answer he usually gave to worried people. But Leo beat him to it.

" _Don't tell me you'll keep me appraised,_ " he snapped. " _I'll be at NCIS in ten, and where you go, I go._ " And he hung up.

"Kid's a keeper," said Gibbs, putting his phone away.

"Leo?" Tony guessed.

"Mm-hm. He's on his way over."

"I'll let Security know," said Tony.

"Once he gets here, we gear up for a night-time venture," Gibbs said, picking up his phone to call Vance and let him know about the developing situation. _Please, God, I just got my daughter back. I don't want to lose her all over again..._ he prayed.

He had seen the recent change in Dabi. She was happy, she was loving, and quite possibly falling in love again, this time with Leo.

Leonard "Leo" Benson was a good kid, from a good family, and with his eye on the future. He was studying physical therapy and planning to help injured and recovering military personnel. He also had it bad for Dabi, bad enough to be willing to fight for her.

Gibbs' mind went back.

 _About two months ago:_

Gibbs was making his way through a park when something caught his attention. It appeared to be two people barreling down the hill that was part of the park. Both were wearing sweats and as they drew closer, Gibbs realized he recognized his daughter as the one chasing what looked like Leo.

Then Gibbs winced, eyes wide, as Dabi suddenly leaped off a tree stump and tackled Leo hard. That sent the pair of them tumbling to the ground, sending fallen leaves scattering in all directions. To his surprise, the pair of them lay on the ground, chests heaving, and then Gibbs heard the one sound he'd missed badly; Dabi was laughing. It was a child-like, happy laugh, and Leo was laughing with her.

They sat up and Leo reached over to pull a leaf out of Dabi's hair. There was something almost tender about the gesture, especially with the way he tucked her hair behind her ear and the way she smiled at him.

Then Dabi spotted Gibbs and she waved, smiling. She said something to Leo and he nodded. They both stood up and jogged over to him. To Gibbs' surprise, Dabi hugged him and said, "Hi Dad. Whatcha up to?"

Gibbs waggled his coffee and said, "Getting my coffee. You?"

"Chasing after Leo again," said Dabi, grinning.

"I noticed. Nice tackle."

"She's getting better at that," said Leo, grinning and signing.

"I should be; the number of times I've done it!" Dabi shot back.

"You two want some ice cream?" Gibbs asked impulsively. "My treat."

Dabi's eyes lit up. "That's the best idea I've heard all day. Lead on."

At the ice cream shop, Dabi excused herself to use the washroom, giving Gibbs a chance to talk to Leo.

"She's my daughter. I have the right to know of your intentions towards her," said Gibbs, getting right to the point.

"Fair enough," said Leo. "I don't know what's going to happen between us, but I do know that she makes me feel things I've never felt before. When I'm not with her, I miss her and my world feels empty. When I am with her, it feels like the sun finally came out after a long winter. I make every excuse I can think of just to talk to her or to be with her. And the best part? It feels like my heart jumps whenever she initiates the conversation."

"You know about Eric?"

"I do. He's better known as the village idiot. He may be a cop in the making, but he's clearly not a man in the making if he can't handle someone changing like Dabi changed. Way I see it, his loss was my gain."

Gibbs had to resist the smirk that crossed his face. "She's been through some tough times," he said.

"I know, and I know she's still got a ways to go. But I want her in my life, sir, and that means I'm going to fight for her, and if I have to fight her personally, I will." The look in Leo's eyes told Gibbs he was serious.

Gibbs nodded. "Good enough for me," he said.

A few days later, Fran sent Gibbs a picture and Gibbs swore he felt his breath stop. Apparently Leo had invited Dabi to a family function, his excuse being that his mom was nagging him to bring home a girl. Dabi, for the first time in months, had gotten dressed up.

She was wearing a short black dress that was elegantly off set by sheer long sleeves and glittering silver sequins at the cuffs and hem. It had elegant draping at the V-neckline that softened it and she had added nice black velvet heels. With sparkling cubic zirconia studs in her ears and her face made up, she looked beautiful. A little work on her hair had almost brought it back to her natural red color.

And the best part? She was smiling. Really smiling.

Gibbs had high-tailed it down to the nearest photo store and managed, upon Tim's advice, to get the picture printed up properly. It would take a place of honor on his desk, alongside Dabi's graduation photo.

The next time Gibbs saw Dabi, she was wearing an interlocked silver heart and opalite Star of David pendant that gleamed in the artificial lighting. She blushed when he mentioned it.

"It was a gift from Leo," she admitted.

Gibbs smirked. The girl was falling hard, and Leo was right behind.

 _Present day:_

"Hey boss?" Tony said quietly, once he ended his call with Vance.

"Yeah, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked absently.

"Ran in to our not-so-favorite boy toy the other day."

"Who?"

"Eric Armstrong," Tony clarified.

"What about him?"

"Seems he saw Dabi and Leo a few days ago and wanted to know what the deal was. Me thinks Pretty Boy was jealous."

 _Yesterday:_

"His name's Leo. I don't know how they met," said Tony, taking a sip of his iced cappuccino, "but I do know she's been hanging with him for a while now. He makes her smile and he's dragged her out of some pretty serious depression, and in Gibbs' eyes, he's good enough." He smirked. "He's been teaching her kickboxing and let me tell you, she's getting good."

Eric nodded. "What's he got that I don't?" he asked.

Tony tipped his head and grinned even wider. " _Her_ , Pretty Boy. You walked away from her when she needed you the most. Leo helped her pick up the pieces that you were too wimpy to handle."

"She changed!" Eric protested. "She wasn't the girl I knew anymore!"

"Shoving a knife through someone's head and being kidnapped and almost sold as a sex slave, that would change anyone," said Tony sarcastically. "Oh, and let's not forget about being shot at and not remembering who you are, yeah, that's gonna do a number on someone. You just couldn't handle it, and Leo was right there and has been there when things got so bad with her we thought we were going to be burying her next to her mother. So you tell me, who's the better man? Because in my eyes, Eric, it ain't you." Tony glared at the flushing young man. "You left her. She moved on. Get over it."

 _Present day:_

Gibbs smirked. "Good work, DiNozzo." Then Gibbs' desk phone rang. It was Tim and he had news.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

" _I was able to snag a satellite for a quick pass, and I'm seeing a light where there shouldn't be a light,_ " Tim said. " _It looks like a large campfire, maybe a bonfire, which confirms what Dabi and Fran were saying. I'm also seeing activity that shouldn't be there, especially in the upper north sector._ "

Leo exited the elevator, being escorted by an agent, whom Gibbs nodded thanks to. The young man had clearly been working out when he'd called, because his skin shone with the sheen of sweat, and he was dressed in dark blue gym shorts that showed off his muscled legs, an open red track jacket that revealed his bare, muscular torso, and runners. He was wearing black hand wraps and didn't seem to realize he was still wearing them. A large bottle of cold water was in one hand, and his keys were in the other.

"Gibbs, what gives?" Leo asked, obvious to the appreciative looks he was getting from the women agents who were quick to notice him.

Gibbs glanced at him, and made a decision. "You, follow me. McGee, keep an eye on that satellite and see who else is in the area. We'll be there in a minute."

" _Yes, boss,_ " Tim said.

Leo followed Tony and Gibbs up to MTAC, Gibbs having mentally made the decision to trust the younger man. "Dabi and Fran are at Marine Barracks Potomac. They found weapons with no dust on them, and a Boy Scout troop. One of their leaders is missing, and their cell phone signal is being disrupted."

"Is the base active?" Leo asked, watching as Gibbs' retina was scanned by the security device, allowing them in.

"It was abandoned in the nineteen-nineties," Tony said.

"That's what I thought Fran said," Leo said. "Abandoned and decommissioned bases always have a few good ghost stories."

"Sounds like you've heard a few," Tony said.

"Just stories my grandma used to tell me," Leo replied absently. "She was a Navy nurse during the Korean War." He chuckled as a memory surfaced. "Funny; Dabi reminds me of her, especially her temper."

"That good, huh?" Tim asked, overhearing, going over the satellite image to see what else he could find.

"She never let Gramps get away with much," Leo said, grinning. "Way she used to tell it, he and his buddies used to pull some pretty crazy stunts and she'd be right there, ready to raise hell over it."

"They married long?" Gibbs asked.

"Over sixty years, and according to Gramps, loving every minute of it," Leo replied. "Dabi met them at the family reunion and now Grandma keeps asking me when am I going to get smart and marry that girl. I told her I will, when I finish college in about two years and that's only if Dabi agrees." He glanced at Gibbs and grinned. "And that's if you don't kill me first. Dad always said dads get the last word on the guys in their daughter's life, no matter how old they get."

"Your dad's a Marine, right?" Tim asked, having run a background on Leo and his family at Dabi's request a long time ago.

"Missing a leg and still kicking the other guys around the court," said Leo, nodding. "When he came home that last time, he sunk into a pretty nasty depression. Mom refused to give up on him. It was tough, on all of us, but we managed. He pulled through and now he spends his days helping others do the same."

"Just like you did for Dabi," said Tony.

Leo's mind went back.

 _Broken._ She was beautiful, but at that moment, she reminded him of a broken little sparrow that had been caught in a tornado, with her feathers and wings every which way except the way they should have been.

He realized that the first time she spoke to him about her past. What she told him had been tame compared to the stories he'd heard from the guys and girls who had come back from their tours, but that didn't make it any less horrifying. Killing a human being was never an easy thing to do for the good ones, and Dabi was good. She was kind, and she was strong, especially with having to take over half of a business at a young age, and seeing death so up close and personal had put a mark on her soul no one should have had to have.

Something stirred within Leo, that first night. He became determined to be the friend she needed. He wanted to help her fly again. Then, when Gibor died, she latched on to him like a drowning woman, for she was drowning, in sorrow.

He had to drag her for a bit, and she fought him at first. She yelled at him, screamed she hated him, and cried on his chest a few times.

But she got better.

She began to fight back. To laugh. To tease. To give as good as she got.

And somewhere along the line, Leo realized he was falling in love.

And the best part? She seemed to feel the same way.

The way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't looking. How her eyes lit up when she saw him. The way she had blushed but couldn't take her eyes off him when he took his shirt off in the gym once. How she never seemed to take off that pendant he'd bought online on impulse, and given to her at the family reunion party. The way she reached for his hugs and never seemed to be in any hurry to leave once she was there.

There had been one time, not too long ago, when he'd caught her looking at him after a work-out session, and there had been something in her eyes. It was almost like desire, like need.

Like she was aware of him.

Before he could give in to the urge to kiss her, the moment had passed. He'd sworn right there and then that if such a moment occurred again, he would not let it slip away so easily next time.

She wasn't just a girl who needed help any more. No, she was a girl he was falling very hard for.

That had been something his mom had asked him about one time. He'd had to think about it long and hard.

Then she'd text him and he realized the answer.

 _Maybe at first, but not now._

Now, with Dabi in trouble, come hell or high water, even if he had to pull stunts his grandpa would be proud of, he was going to help save her again.

"What do you got, McGee?" Gibbs asked, bringing Leo back to the present.

"More information. Based on the last satellite image, the Boy Scouts and the girls aren't alone. Recommend we move in fast, boss," Tim said, showing an area of the base that was looking a little more active than it should have been. "Those trucks shouldn't be there, and neither should those heat signatures."

"How many?" Gibbs snapped.

"Hard to say," Tim said, "but best guess? At least three or four, maybe more, maybe less. Take a look at this," he said, circling a building that was generating heat. "Fran said they were having cell problems. Based on the size and the distance from the buildings and the troop, and the fact that that building is not part of the original base plans, I'd say that's where the signal disrupter is."

"Get Vance," Gibbs said.

"Getting," Tim said.

"What do we do?" Leo asked, as Gibbs dialed his cell, recalling the satellite phone number Fran had used.

"That kickboxing thing of yours just for show or what?" Gibbs asked.

Leo grinned at him. "I once KO'd an old buddy of mine, single punch, and he was the kind of guy who just loved his weights."

"Can you follow orders?" Tony asked, suspecting Gibbs was planning on using Leo in the near future.

"You say jump, I don't ask how high, I just jump," Leo said.

"Good enough," Gibbs said. "Fran, you still with the Boy Scouts?"

" _We are, but Gibbs, they're scared. The other leaders are doing what they can to keep the kids calm,_ " Fran said.

"Tell them to keep doing that. We're on our way. Feel like taking out a fancy piece of equipment?" Gibbs said, seeing Vance come into MTAC. Tony quickly brought him up to speed and introduced him to Leo, who shook his hand.

" _You found the cell phone signal disrupter thingie?_ " Fran asked hopefully.

"North-east of your current position," Gibbs said. "Satellite is showing heat signatures and McGee says the building is not part of the original base buildings."

" _How far away?_ " Fran asked.

"Five minutes on foot," Gibbs said. "Be careful."

" _Bet on it. I'm sure we can make it look like an accident or something. There are a few ghosts hanging around, ya know?_ "

"No, I don't. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," Gibbs said.

Fran laughed. " _Dabi says don't say that. Are you going to try and find Mika?_ _She was headed towards the vehicles the last time._ "

"We'll keep an eye out for her," Gibbs said. "Call me the second the cell phone signal disrupter is taken care of."

" _Wilco, boss,_ " Fran said.

"Get them, and keep me posted," Vance said as Gibbs ended the call. "I'll see if I can scare up some help."

"I'm going to need a shirt," Leo said, looking down at his bare chest.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, heading out of the room, his team right behind him.

"One NCIS shirt coming up," Tony said, absently wondering if the shirt was even going to fit.

 _Back at the base:_

"We have orders to destroy the cell phone signal disrupter," Fran said to Dabi. "Your dad and company are on their way, and everyone else is to stay here and stay safe."

"Sounds like fun. Where?"

"North-east of our current position, five minutes on foot."

"We need a compass," Dabi said. She went over to Thomas. "Which direction is north-east?" she asked. He got out his compass and showed her.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we've got orders from NCIS to do a little damage. You guys are to stay here and stay safe. NCIS is on their way. The kids have the right to have some fun without looking over their shoulders or possibly being shot at, and we're going to make sure of that," Dabi said.

Thomas nodded. "Thank you."

On impulse, Dabi got out her notebook from her backpack and wrote down Kranz's address and phone number. "This is my family bakery. The next time you guys want to earn a badge that involves baking, you call us. We'll teach the kids how to bake cakes and cookies they can take home with them."

"I've got a teenager who thinks baking is just for girls," Thomas said, grinning.

"I've got a guy who looks like Thomas Magnum, who thinks otherwise," Dabi said, grinning back. "He's a mean sucker with his pastry knife."

"Beautiful. Be safe out there, okay?"

"Always. Keep an eye on your cell phone. The second you see a signal, you call this number," she said, showing him her dad's cell number.

"Done."

Dabi and Fran headed into the dark, with Fran leading the way. She really wished she could send a message to Leo, letting him know what was going on. He'd been there for her in more ways than she could count, and she really wished she could feel his arms around her right there and then.

 _Five months ago:_

Dabi was screaming. She didn't know what else to do or why she was screaming. All she knew for certain was that her beloved dog, Gibor, was dead. When she saw the driver, some young guy, it was only strong arms that kept her from trying to hurt him.

She didn't understand what was going on, what people were saying. It was a blur, all of it a blur.

She had been at the park, playing with Gibor while waiting for Leo. They were supposed to go running together again and he was going to show her some new kickboxing techniques that she could do against an attacker. And then the car had come.

A glance at the wrist that was holding her showed her the watch that she recognized as having seen Leo wear; a silver dive watch with an orange face. It was Leo who was holding her.

"Let me go!" she yelled. "That bastard just killed my dog! Let me go!"

But Leo didn't let her go. Perhaps it was just as well. The world spun and the next thing Dabi remembered was coming to on the ground, snuggled against Leo's chest. A paramedic was examining her, concern on his face.

Just like when Pop-Pop had died, time passed by in a daze. The world was dark and cold. Dabi wasn't so sure she wanted to live anymore, not when she hurt this much.

But Leo wouldn't let her. He wouldn't leave her alone. He let her grieve for a few days, then he dragged her out of bed, shoved her into the shower and out the door. He forced her to run, to chase him. He forced her to keep living, and she wanted to hate him for it.

Eventually, after the tears came, the light started coming again and Dabi found herself spending less time in the darkness and more time at the bakery and with her family.

And Leo? She found herself spending more time with him, in his arms and against his chest.

 _Present day:_

A five-minute walk brought them to a camouflaged tent that was out of place amongst the other buildings.

"Wanna bet that's what we're looking for?" Dabi asked from their hiding spot amid the overgrown bushes.

Fran nodded, scanning the area. She held up three fingers, indicating three bogies, and pointed in their direction. She then indicated one of them was smoking.

"Let's play," Dabi said, mentally mapping out a route to the back of the tent.

"Let's," Fran said, sending a quick prayer to God. _We could use a little help here, Lord. This ain't gonna be easy, and if my time comes, help me make damn sure it's worth it. Amen._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Know what a cell phone signal jammer looks like?" Fran mouthed at Dabi, who shook her head. "Neither do I, but I saw two big black suitcase boxes with a bunch of those pointy things I always see on routers." Dabi nodded. Fran had just cautiously stuck her head under the back of a large camouflage tent, a tent that shouldn't be on the base. There was no one in the tent, but there was enough stuff in the tent to suggest that someone might be coming back. "Got a generator hooked up to one of them." Dabi slashed her hand across her throat and Fran nodded in understanding.

So far they had only seen one truck near the tent, but neither girl was taking chances that there might be someone else in the area, someone who might be just as armed as they were. And there was still the missing Scout leader to contend with, not to mention a group of innocent Boy Scouts and Venturers who could get caught in the middle if things got nasty.

Fran removed the knife part from her folding knife set and, after looking under the tent to see if anyone was back in the tent, she quickly scrambled underneath. A quick examination of both jammers revealed the simplest method was to simply shut the operating one off and take both of them out of the tent and hide them, as they were both on wheels. Folded up, they did indeed look like large black suitcases, abet a bit heavy, but both girls could move them with no trouble.

"Move," Dabi hissed, seeing a light heading for the tent.

The girls darted for a nearby building and Dabi spotted a bunch of old, rusty barrels, which were just the right size to hide the jammers in. After hiding the jammers, they hid themselves, watching as a man in hunting camouflage went into the tent, then burst out, clearly swearing and yelling. Two men joined him, including the smoker.

Dabi's cellphone suddenly started vibrating as messages poured in. Several were from Leo, wondering where she was and if she was okay. With Fran keeping an eye out, she quickly fired off a message to her dad and then to Leo.

 _Jammers down. Three pissed off guys,_ she sent to Gibbs.

 _I'm okay. Long story. Tell you more later, promise,_ she sent to Leo.

A moment later, she got a message back from Leo that had her eyes going wide.

 _I know. Caught up to your dad, told me what's going on. Hang on, cavalry to the rescue, me included._

Then she received a selfie of Leo, with Tim and Tony, her dad clearly driving.

 _Be careful,_ she sent back.

 _You too._

Dabi showed Fran the picture, who muffled her giggle of amusement. Then:

"Uh-oh," Fran said.

The angry camo man was heading their way, flashlight in one hand, gun in the other.

 _Uh-oh_ was right. Dabi mimed knocking the man out, if they could, because they needed answers, like why there were so many weapons there, who these people were, and why were they on an abandoned Marine base that they had no business being on.

Fran nodded and together the girls quickly worked out a plan. Dabi would flash her light to draw the attention of one of them, and Fran grabbed an old piece of pipe. Guns were too loud and too risky at this point, especially with the camp not that far away.

Distract and Crack was the name of the game.

It worked. The man spotted Dabi's light, and chased after her, and when she had him right where she wanted him, Fran hit him as hard as she could with the pipe. He went down without a sound, and they dragged him into a nearby building.

"The other two are calling for him. We don't have much time. Nice Blackberry," Fran mouthed, holding up the device she found inside his jacket.

"Got a name," Dabi mouthed, holding up his wallet. A drivers license said his name was Chris Evans, and he was from out of state, Missouri, to be exact. "Long way from home." A business card caught her attention. "NHFM? National Home Front Movement? Together We Stand. I'm afraid to ask."

A grunting noise caught Fran's attention and she quickly turned on her night vision goggles, sweeping the dark building.

"Shit!" she hissed, seeing a booted foot wiggling from around a corner. She chased after the boot, gun at the ready, only to discover a frightened woman wearing a Boy Scout uniform, blood dribbling down her chin from under her cloth gag. The woman was bound with plastic ties, which Fran quickly cut. "Mika?" Fran asked.

Mika Wilbur nodded. "Who are you?"

"Would you believe kinda-sorta-NCIS?" Fran asked, leading her back to Dabi and Chris, who was still out cold.

"Kinda-sorta?" Mika asked, eyes wide.

"I'm in training, her dad's a fed, and it's a long story. Your kids are safe," Fran said.

"Oh, thank god," Mika said, accepting the water Dabi gave her.

"NCIS is on their way and we're going to get this mess sorted out," Dabi promised. "In the mean time, we need to get out of here, head for the main entrance, and get you back to your boys. Feel up to it?"

Mika nodded.

 _Got Mika. Heading back to BS location with her._ _Nailed a bad boy, membership card says Nat. Home Front Movement, Chris Evans out of Missouri. Mean anything?_ Dabi sent to Gibbs.

 _Highway, heading for Marine Barracks Potomac_

Gibbs handed his phone to Tim, who read the message.

"They found Mika," Tim said, "and a bad boy by the name of Chris Evan, out of Missouri, who's a member of something called the National Home Front Movement."

"Call Abby, find out," Gibbs said.

"Calling," Tim said. When the forensic specialist answered, he put her on speakerphone. "Abby, National Home Front Movement, who are they? Dabi said she caught a bad guy by the name of Chris Evan, from Missouri who has a membership card with them."

" _Searching, McGee. Are they okay?_ " Abby asked, worry in her voice.

"Seem to be."

" _And the National Home Front Movement is a movement dedicated to preserving the ideals of our forefathers, which includes keeping our nation pure. There's a series of rants about President Obama and the fact that he's black, so I'm guessing pure means white._ "

"Weapons?" Tony asked.

" _Very Second Amendment heavy. The right to bear arms and all that. Oh, and President Obama is about to get a demonstration of them, the end result being that they hope to force him to bring the troops home from overseas. Basically, Gibbs, they hate blacks, love guns, and really hate international cooperation._ "

"Chris Evans?" Gibbs asked.

" _The charming fellow that I found, if he's the right one, has been arrested several times for drunk and disorderly, uttering threats, illegal possession of a firearm, and there's a warrant out for his arrest in Missouri,_ " Abby said.

"So basically, a bunch of bullies that don't like anyone who's different than them, love their guns, and are looking for an excuse for a fight," Leo said.

" _Got it in one, and I have Fran and Dabi's cell phone signals again,_ " Abby said.

"See who else is in the area," Gibbs said.

" _Will do_ ," Abby said, signing off.

"Hey Leo, how come you punched out your old buddy?" Tony asked.

Leo smiled tightly. "He slapped his now-ex-girlfriend in front of me one night, during a party. Ht her hard enough to split her lip. Sure, he was pretty drunk, but she was trying to get him to give her the keys so she could take him home."

"You only hit him once?" Gibbs asked sarcastically.

"Glass jaw, and I was mad. Next morning, when he was sober enough to remember what had happened, he tried to claim it was her fault because she knew he got mad easily when he was drunk, and that he didn't mean to hit her quite that hard. I told him he had a choice; stay away from her, and me, or the next punch would be followed by a beating," Leo said.

"Did he?" Tim asked.

"He tried, but it's a little hard to do much when you're facing not just me, but my two other brothers, and the girl's father," Leo said, grinning. "Said girl just got engaged to my older brother, Mikey."

All three men laughed. "Nice," Tony said.

"I have a funny little quirk; I don't like bullies, and if this National Home Front Movement sounds like what I think it is, which is a bunch of bullies, then I'm very glad I'm still wearing my wrist wraps," Leo said.

"Stay close," Gibbs said, pulling up to the entrance of the base, and spotting a bunch of other vehicles that he suspected belonged to the Boy Scout leaders.

"You say, I do," Leo said.

Under the cover of darkness, flashlights low and guns out, the four men made their way towards the last known location of the Boy Scout camp. A noise caught their attention, and they quickly ducked into the bushes and around the various buildings, just in time to see someone in a camouflage four-seat John Deere Gator cart coming down the road.

Gibbs stepped out, and shone his flashlight directly at the driver, blinding him. The driver yelled, and crashed into one of the buildings. Because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, he nearly went over the wheel, but instead, cracked his head on the steering wheel, dazing him. Before he could do anything, like reach for the gun Gibbs spotted sticking out of the back of his pants, they were on him.

"NCIS! Hands where we can see them! Now!" Gibbs ordered, flashlight and gun aimed at the man.

Fortunately, the man was smart enough to realize he was outgunned, and he was quickly cuffed.

"Anthony Herald," Tim said, reading the man's driver's license, having patted the man down and removed his gun. "Out of Waco, Texas. You're a long way from home too. I'll have a mutual friend of ours run him." He got on his phone and called Abby, who promised to run him as quickly as possible.

"What are you doing here at this time of night?" Gibbs asked, arms folded across his chest

"Screw you. I know my rights," Anthony snarled.

"Good. Then know this; you're trespassing on government property, which means you're under arrest," Gibbs said. "Gag him and cuff him to the flag pole until we find the others, and back-up gets here to deal with him."

"You can't do that! I have rights!" Anthony yelled.

"Can I hit him?" Leo asked, eyes wide with feigned innocence, as he cracked his knuckles. "Please? Just once? I promise to only break one of his teeth."

Gibbs smiled at the nervous look on the man's face.

"You hit me and I'll sue you!" Anthony yelled.

"Then I suggest you do as you're told," Tim said, getting off the phone. "He's got the muscle to back up his claim, and he's on our side. Seems he hates bullies; little quirk of his."

Tony and Leo dragged Anthony to his feet, only to have the man try and run, cuffed as he was. He ran, all right, straight into Leo's fist, which, coupled with the earlier head injury, left him dazed enough for Leo and Tony to cuff him to the flag pole that was near one of the buildings, an old administration building from the looks of it. Then Gibbs used his knife to cut a strip off of Anthony's shirt and use it as a gag, to prevent Anthony from alerting any of his friends.

"Y'know, if I swipe this bonehead's hat and pants, I could pass for him," Leo said, having traded his track jacket for an NCIS field jacket. "Might buy us a few seconds if we need it, especially if we use the Gator, and it would help us get to where these bozos are, faster."

Trusting his gut, Gibbs nodded. "Do it."

A few minutes later, Leo was wearing Anthony's hat and pants, which were a bit loose, thanks to the fact that Anthony had a developing beer belly on him. "Man, you have so got to lose that belly. You want to scare the ladies off, you're going about it the right way." The glare Anthony shot him had him laughing. "My Gram does a better glare than you, brah!"

As the team piled on to the Gator, and Leo started it up (it still worked despite the minor crash), Tim repeated what Abby had told him.

"Vandalism charges, mostly hate-related, a few DUI's, has a weapons license in Texas, numerous complaints of threats and harassment, again involving blacks and other minorities," Tim said. "Divorced, no kids, and his name popped up on the National Home Front Movement members webpage."

"So, another bully," Leo said.

"Yup," Tim said.

"Damn; knew I should have hit him harder," Leo grumbled, causing Gibbs to grin.


End file.
